Uttarakhand disaster: Attacked for stopping hydel projects as Env Min, says Jairam Ramesh

Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday said he came under sharp attack as Environment Minister when he stopped hydel projects on rivers in Uttarakhand as the cumulative impact of the projects were not taken into consideration.

'I can't help but recall that now' 

His comments came two days after the sudden flood in the Alaknanda river system in Chamoli district that was possibly triggered by an avalanche or glacier burst. "As Environment Minister, I came under sharp attack for stopping hydel projects on Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and other rivers in Uttarakhand on ecological grounds. We weren’t considering the cumulative impacts of these projects. I can't help but recall that now," Ramesh tweeted.

The flash floods in Uttarakhand two days ago was due to the collapse of a hanging glacier, initial observations by scientists at the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology suggest. A hanging glacier is a body of ice that breaks off abruptly at the edge of a precipice or steep slope.

"The event happened in a hanging glacier, adjacent to Raunthi glacier, which originates from Raunthi/Mrigudhani peak (6,063 metres above sea level)," PTI quoted Kalachand Sain, director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, as saying. 

The observations also suggest that rock mass weakened over a period of time due to freezing and thawing of snow must have led to the creation of a "weak zone", triggering its collapse, which resulted in the formation of a temporary dam that eventually breached, causing the deadly floods. Two teams of five glaciologists are studying the reasons behind Sunday's disaster. They also undertook a helicopter survey on Tuesday.

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U'khand disaster: Toll rises to 32

Meanwhile, the death toll in the Uttarakhand disaster rose to 32 with six more bodies being recovered, officials said on Tuesday as multiple agencies raced against time to reach about 30 workers trapped inside a tunnel at a power project site and 174 people remained missing.

In Parliament, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the Centre is working in close coordination with the Uttarakhand government. "Rescue operation to evacuate these people is going on a war-footing and all-out efforts are being made for searching missing persons, he said. The State Emergency Operation Centre said six bodies were found Tuesday, taking the death toll to 32, and 174 people are still missing.

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(With agency inputs)